SHARE
Geneva 1 October 2026
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) condemns Russia's latest threat to use nuclear weapons against NATO member states, reported from official sources by the Russian news agency TASS and western media outlets.
|
Moscow warns it is prepared to use "the entire arsenal… including nuclear weapons" if NATO countries attempt to isolate the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, and raises the prospect of strikes on "decision-making centres" from the outset of any conflict. Stripped of euphemism, that means nuclear attacks on European capitals: cities like Vilnius, Warsaw, Berlin and Brussels, home to millions of people. "Threatening to annihilate cities is not defence. It is the language of hostage-taking," said Melissa Parke, ICAN Executive Director. "Every time a nuclear-armed state makes a threat like this, it reminds us that nuclear deterrence does not keep anyone safe. It is the holding of entire populations at risk by the governments that possess these weapons." Nuclear threats are not empty words. Each one normalises the idea that nuclear weapons are usable, lowers the threshold for their use, and increases the risk of miscalculation, particularly in a region where tensions are already running high with military exercises and naval activity on both sides. The humanitarian consequences of any nuclear detonation over a European city would be catastrophic and impossible to respond to adequately; no state or international body has the capacity to deal with them. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) explicitly prohibits the threat to use nuclear weapons. In 2022, states parties to the treaty condemned unequivocally any and all nuclear threats, whether explicit or implicit and irrespective of the circumstances. ICAN calls on all governments to do the same, without exception and without qualification. However, condemnation of Russia's threats by countries that continue to rely on nuclear weapons for their own security, and to plan for their use, undermines the credibility of that condemnation. The answer to nuclear threats is not more nuclear weapons, more nuclear sharing or more countries getting nuclear weapons. It is the elimination of these weapons. ICAN urges:
In two months, states will gather in New York for the First Review Conference of the TPNW (30 November–4 December 2026). ICAN calls on all governments yet to sign or ratify, including nuclear-armed and nuclear-allied states, to attend as observers and engage with the only treaty that rejects nuclear weapons in their entirety, including the threat to use them. |
|
For further information or to request an interview, contact: Alistair Burnett, ICAN Head of Communications [email protected] +41 78 238 7179 |
Further reading:
Almost three quarters of Swedes support joining UN Nuclear Ban Treaty and two thirds oppose hosting nuclear weapons – new poll finds
ICAN endorses Nobel Laureates’ Rome Declaration on AI and Nuclear Weapons
NATO leaders need to understand more nuclear weapons make them less safe – ICAN
Tonga becomes 100th country to join UN Nuclear Ban Treaty
Global spending on nuclear weapons increased 19% in 2025 to reach its highest recorded level at $118.8 billion
You might also like:
No related articles found.